As a child, you have a right to be protected from taking part in crime. Therefore, under no circumstance should you let anyone intimidate or force you to do something illegal. Article 46 of the law relating to rights and protection of the child against violence clearly states: “Any parent, guardian or person in charge of a childcare institution that engages a child in delinquency, is given aid or benefits that are a result of from a child’s delinquency, shall be sentenced to an imprisonment of between three months and five years or pay a fine of between ten thousand and one hundred thousand francs.” For instance, if someone gives you illicit drugs to sell, you can report them to the authorities. In article 42 of the law relating to rights and protection of the child against violence, it is stated that whoever gives illicit drugs to a child or uses him/her in illicit drugs or arms trafficking or in fraudulent practices, shall be sentenced to imprisonment of between five years and twenty five years and pay a fine of between one hundred thousand and five hundred thousand francs. This law is further reemphasised by article 220 of the penal code which talks about the penalty for engaging a child in narcotic drugs and arms trafficking or in the trade of other illegal products. It states: “Any person who engages a child in narcotic drugs and arms trafficking or in the trade of other illegal products shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of two (2) years to five (5) years and a fine of one million (1,000,000) to five million (5,000,000) Rwandan francs.” And if someone offers you drugs to take, or if you know of a child who is being offered drugs, you should still report to the authorities because it is illegal. Article 596 of the penal code talks about inducing a child to use narcotic drugs and says; “Without prejudice to the provisions of Article 220 of this Organic Law, any person who induces a child to use narcotic drugs in any other way shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of more than five (5) years to seven (7) years and a fine of five hundred thousand (500,000) to five million (5,000,000) Rwandan francs.”
